String-bean-cutting machine



F. C. LEWIS.

STRING BEAN CUTTING MACHINE. APPLICATION flLED DEC. I4, I921.

Patented Oct 3L, 1922.,

2 SHEETS--SHEET msgsgfiso.

WITNESSES A TTORNEYS F. C. LEWIS.

STRING BEAN CUTTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED 020.14, 1921.

l/VVE/VTQH 77C LEW/6,

ATTORNEYS 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- Patented Oct. 31, 1922.

WITNESSES I provide a machine of the above character iii i Patented Get, 311, i922.

FRANKLIN C. LEWIS, 0F Nllll'w YORK, N. Y.

STRING-BEAN-CUTTING MAGHINE.

Application filed December 14, 1921. Serial No. 522,257.

To all whom it may concem:

Be it known that T, FRANKLIN C. Lnwis, -a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New Yorkcity, in the State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in String-Bean-Cutting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a string bean cutting machine.

The general ob ect of the invention is to which is adapted .to cut string beans Into sections of a desired length in a highly efllcient and expeditious manner. I

It is an important object of the invention that the machine be adapted to deposit the ends or tips of the string beans in a separate receptacle from that in which the body sections of the string beans are deposited:

It is a further object of the invention that the machine be extremely -simple in construction and relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

Other objects and objects relating to details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts will hereinafter appear in the detailed description to follow.

The invention is illustrated b way of example in the accompanyin rawings, in

. which used for causin string Fi re 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectiona view of the string bean cutting machine 'ofthe present invention,

Figures 2, 3 and 4: are detail sectional views, in each instance, showing the feeder cylinder and cutter of the machine, and also illustrating the passage of the string beans which may be of any preferred form or construction within which there is mounted an elevator E which communicates at its one end with a hopper H and is adapted to deliver string beans from the hopper H to the feeder cylinder F, and said feeder cylinder F in turn adapted to deliver the string beans to the cutter C. The cutter C is adapted to cut the beans, and therebeneath are provided the receptacles R and R, the pur ose of which will later appear.

ore particularly the elevator E- comprises the two drums 10 and 11, each of which is suitably supported by a shaft 13 properly journaled at their ends. The shaft for the drum 10 is supported in the side walls of the bin B, while the shaft of the pulley for the drum 11 is supported by extensions from the bin B in order that the drum 11' may be disposed above the bin B as shown in Figure 1. About the drums 10 and 11 there is passed an endless belt 14 which carries the cleats 15, said cleats in each instance extending transversely of the belt 14 and being adapted to engage string beans which may be'in the hopper H and carry the same upwardly and over the top of the drum 11, v

that is, assuming that the drums are rotating in the direction of the arrows shown.

The hopper H preferably has its front -wall 16 sloping so that string beans deposited therein may be brought into a restricted space between the belt 14 of the elevator E and said wall of the hopper. Also there extends from the rear wall of the hopper a plate 17 which is adapted to cover the belt 14 and be in spaced relation therewith. This plate 17 is for the purpose of lirnlting the amount of beans which will be carried upwardly upon the belt 14. For further limiting the number of string beans carried upon the belt 14, I provide a flap 18 which is secured to the inner side wall of the hopper Has shown, and which is preferably madeof rubber or other flexible material which is adapted to extend the entire width of the belt 14 and for sweeping excess string beans from said belt as it passes therebeneath.

The feeder cylinder F consists in a cylinder 19 which is mounted upon a shaft 20, said shaft being journaled -in the sidewalls of the bin B and said cylinder carrying a plurality of rows of lugs or teeth 21 which are arranged longitudinally thereof, and the teeth of each row being in spaced relation as best shown in Figure 5. These teeth are adapted to receive the string beans delivered by the elevator E and carry them forward with relation thereto. The cylinder 19 ro- 'tates in the direction of the arrow 22.

The cutter C comprises a cylinder 23 upon. which there is mounteda plurality of disks 24, said disks being arranged longitudinally of the cylinder 23 and in equally spaced relation; and each being provided with a peripheral cutting edge 25. The

walls of the bin B. The cylinder 23 is adapted to turn in the direction of the arrow 26 and the cutting edges of the disk 24 are adapted to operate in close proximity to the peripheral edge of the cylinder 19. The receptacle R is disposed forward to the cutter C, while the receptacle R is disposed rearwardly thereof. These receptacles may be formed in any preferred manner as by the means of the division walls 27 and 28 re spectively.

From the division wall 27 there extends upwardly a plurality of strips 29 which may be termed track members, said members being inclined, as shown in Figure 1, and each having its upper end in close proximity to the feeder drum 19. Also as shown in Figure 5 a track member 29 is disposed adjacent each side of the several disks 24 and adapted to operate between the lugs 21 of the 9 feed cylinder 19.

Below the cutter C and slightly forward thereto there is mounted what may be termed an agitator, which consists in a bar 30 extending transversely of the bin B, and having projecting therefrom a plurality of fingers 31, said fingers being arranged longitudinally of the bar and in equal spaced relation and adapted to project upwardly and above the track members 29. The fingers 31 are preferably made of resilient wires 1 of small cross section, the purpose of which will later be referred to.

Above the feeder F there is positioned a bar 32 which has extending downwardly therefrom and arranged longitudinally thereof a plurality of spring fingers 33, and said fingers being adapted to engage the string beans being carried forward by the cylinder 19 and hold them firmly thereon as they are brought forward and into engagement with the cutter C.

Slightly to the rear of the cutter C there is suitably mounted a bar 34 which has extending forwardly and downwardly therefrom a plurality of curved spring fingers 35, each finger being adapted to engage the periphery of the cylinder 23 at a point becourse provided for driving the elevator E,

the feeder F and the cutter C. These means are not shown, but may consist in any conventional type such as belts, chains or the .like. v cylinder 23 has passed therethrough a shaft 26 which is properly journaled in the side Upon the movement of the elevator E in a direction forv delivering the string beans to the feeder F, the flap 18' will operate to limit the number of beans delivered, likewise the plate 17 will aid in this purpose. Beans being delivered upon the feeder cylinder 19, the same will be carried forward beneath the spring fingers 33 and thence further forward and oressed against the cutter disks 24 which Wlll sever the beans into small sections depending upon the distance apart of the disks 24. l/Vhen the string beans are severed there would of course be short pieces or tips.

The body sections of the beans will be wedged between the disks 24 and carried forward above the track members 29. The track members 29 aid the spring fingers 33 in raising the beans into engagement with the cutter disks 24 and further provide means for supporting the body sections of the beans during their passage to receptacle R. Thefingers 31 of the agitator element will upon the beans passing thereover agitate the same sufficiently to cause the endypieces or tips to drop into the hopper R. pon the body sections of the beans reaching the spring fingers 35 the same will cause them to drop into the hopper B.

By the description given it is seen that string beans may be chopped into desired lengths and the tips or ends separatedfrom the body sections thereof. The elimination of the ends and tips of the beans is of a great advantage to canners or the like.

While I- have shown and described the preferred form of my invention, I wish it to be understood that I am aware of the fact that the construction, combination and arrangement of parts may be changed by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention as indicated by the appended claims.

I claim 1. In a. machine of the character described, a cuttercomprising a cylinder, a plurality of disks carried by said cylinder arranged longitudinally thereof and in spaced relation of each other and each of said disks has its periphery formed with a cutting edge, means for presenting beanstransversely to the its cutting edges of said disks whereby said beans may be severed into sections, and means for delivering the longer sections to a receptacle.

2. In a machine of the character described, a cutter comprising a cylinder, a plurality of disks carried by said cylinder arranged longitudinally thereof and in spaced relation of each other and each of said disks has its periphery formed with a cutting edge, means for presenting beans transversely to the cutting edges of said disks whereby said beans may be severed into sections, means for delivering the longer sections to a receptacle, and means for delivering the short sections of the beans to another receptacle.

3. In a cutting machine of the character described, a cutter comprising a plurality of disks, the peripheries of which are each formed with a cutting edge and said disks being arranged in spaced relation with each other and having a common axis, means for presenting string beans transversely to said cutting\ edges of the disks, whereby the string beans will be severed into sections equal in length to the distance between the adjacent disks, and also sections of shorter length consisting in the ends or tips of said string beans, means whereby the longer sections may be delivered to a receptacle rearward to the cutter, and means whereby the shorter sections may be delivered to a receptacle forward to the cutter.

4. In a cutting machine of the character described, a cutter comprising a plurality of disks, the peripheries of which are each formed with a cutting edge and said disks being arranged in spaced relation with each other and having a common axis, means for presenting string beans transversely to said cutting edges of the disks, whereby the string beans will be severed into sections equal in length to the distance between the adjacent disks, and also sections of shorter length consisting in the ends or tips of said string beans, track means adapted to deliver the longer sections of the beans rearward of the cutter, and means associated with the cutter whereby said longer sections of the beans will be caused to drop in a receptacle to the rear of said cutter.

5. In a cutting machine of the character described, a cutter comprising a plurality of disks, the peripheries of which are each formed with a cutting edge and said disks being arranged in spaced relation with each other and having a common axis, means for presentin string beans transversely to said cutting e ges of the disks whereby the string beans will besevered into sections equal in length to the distance between the adjacent disks, and also sections of shorter length consisting in the ends or tips of said string beans, track means adapted to deliver the longer sections of the beans rearward of the cutter, and agitating means whereby the shorter sections of said beans will becaused to drop in a receptacle forward to said outter.

6. In a cutting machine of the character described, a cutter comprising a plurality of disks, the peripheries of which are each formed with a cutting edge and said disks being arranged in spaced relation with each other and having a common axis, means for presenting string beans transversely to said cutting edges of the disks whereby the string beans will be severed into sections equal in length to the distance between the adjacent disks, and also sections of shorter length consisting in the ends or tips of said string beans, track means adapted to deliver the longer sections of the beans rearward of the cutter,-and resilient spring finger means associated with said track means whereby the shorter sections of said beans will be caused to drop in a receptacle forward to said outter.

7. In a machine of the character described, a cutter comprisinga cylinder, a pluralit 1 of disks arranged longitudinally thereof and each disk having its periphery formed with a cutting edge, a drum forward to said cylinder carrying a plurality of rows of teeth extending longitudinally thereof, means whereby string beans may be delivered upon the drum, means whereby the drum and cutter cylinder may be rotated in directions toward each other whereby said beans will be pressed against the cutting edges of the disks carried by said cylinder and caused to be cut into sections, said sections in part corresponding to the distance between adjacent cutter disks and also in part to shorter sections consisting of the tips or ends of the string beans, means for delivering the longer sections to one receptacle, and means for de livering the shorter bean sections to another receptacle.

8. A machine of the character described, comprising a body, a hopper formed therein, said cylinder positioned forward to said hopper having a plurality of rows of teeth each row extending longitudinally thereof, an elevator adapted to deliver string beans from the hopper upon the said cylinder, said beans being disposed longitudinally of the said cylinder, a cutter disposed forward to the said cylinder comprising a shaft carrymg a plurality of disks arranged longitudinally thereon, and each of said disks having its periphery formed with a cutting edge and disposed in close proximity to the periphery of said cylinder and said cutter being adapted to sever string beans into sections when rotated in a direction opposite to that of said cylinder, and means associatedwith said cutter whereby the sections into which the beans are severed may be so disposed that the longer sections will be delivered into one hopper and the shorter sections into anof receptacles, and means beneath the cutter other. I whereby the shorter or end sections of the 9. In a device of the characterdescribed, beans will be delivered in the one receptacle, 10 a rotary cutter adapted to sever string beans While the other sections of the beans will be 5 delivered thereto into sections, said sections delivered into the other receptacle.

including body sections and end sections of shorter length than the body sections, a pair FRANKLIN C. LEWIS. I 

